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Colour me not?
A pile of motor parts in the art room at St John’s baffles you till you are offered an explanation by their teacher Michelangelo Francis. A group of children are learning to paint on cars and bikes’ spare parts. And finding bits and pieces of car and bike parts is the first step of the exercise on which the children would learn to make patterns using spray paints.
An unusual form of art, but considering that Michelangelo is a product of College of Art, which started a competition on making graffiti on cars as part of the Chandigarh Carnival about 10 years ago, it is only a revival of the lost art. Lost, because after spoiling a few cars, which were painted in water-colour, acrylic and oil, the students and teachers of the college hit upon a novel idea — why not build a car and paint? And that’s how the concept of floats, which is still very much part of the annual fair, came into being. But that’s another story. Long before that famous artist-sculptor Shiv Singh had painted his scooter in multi-colours, which he flaunted on the city roads. This art form never caught the fancy of young ones except for a few adventurous souls like Michelangelo who painted fiery flames on the body of his Hero Honda Splendour. Even after a decade, car art form has not picked up, judging by the number of few painters who are doing such art in the city. “The car owners here are in total sync with the characteristics of the city — neat and clean. They don’t even like putting stickers on their cars unless of course it is to hide a dent,” informs Ravi of King Film-28 when we approached him to find us some car artist. This is how we come in contact with Rakesh, an artist who does paint cars with enamel colours. “Though I would love to do creative paintings on a car body, most of my client want nothing more than logos or at the most some religious symbol or flags of some nation painted on their cars.” A regular at Sector 28’s Khan Market, Rakesh now mostly into writing number plates for people who prefers hand-painted ones over the readymade stickers. Laments Praveen Khullar of Angel Painting- 48, “Only two or three people turn up in a month to do some modifications, which include etching a motif or writing a line on the car body.” Well, the young ones approach him to make fire sign or a sports item, while for the elderly ones it is either a Khanda or a something like Wahe Guru or Jai Mata Di. Unlike the West, why has car painting not picked up in the city, we ask motoring expert H Kishie Singh. “Except for a polka-dotted scooter running on the city streets few years ago, I have never come across anyone or any vehicle, which has been painted in bold motifs or colours.” And the reason he attributes is to the money. “Parents now buy expensive models for their children who are barely out of their teens. When one has a mean machine that makes them an instant hit among the members of the opposites sex, where do they have time for creativity?” Go ahead and prove him wrong. Imagine just by driving a rainbow coloured car, how many people can cheer up on the way!
Artistic makeover BMW has an art car collection, which was originally done by Spanish artist Cesar Manrique in 1990. When designing his art car, Manrique was primarily inspired by various ideas of motion. The radiant colours and undulating lines are a hallmark of his art. He wanted to create an impression that the car could glide along without any resistance. |
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Say it big & Bold
Karan Singh, a high-school student has 'Open Lions' written on his vehicle, right at the front. And why Open lions? He smiles, “Nothing is particular, it could have been any other statement as well, as long as I can identify with it and it matches my style." No hard and fast rule. It could have been anything, a symbol, quotation, my second name, or something out of the blue”. Ditto for Anurag Bachchan Singh, who has calligraphically written his surname 'Dhindsa' at the back of his Ford Icon. “Hey nothing really. Just that I can recognise my car in the parking area from a distance," he laughs. Nothing specific nevertheless exciting. Reasons for writing galore. For instance, Lakshay Anand, has 'Dad's Gift' written on his white Safari. Why? “I had just returned from abroad, saw this car, and dad immediately gifted it to me." When people can write all sorts of things on their bodies through tattoos, then why can’t you use your vehicles for the same. But this isn’t it. Simran Singh, who has an 'I make my own rules' sticker in gothic font on his car, says, "you can make heads turn because of this. When people can shell out lakh for so-called VIP numbers, just to draw attention, then what is the harm in doing it for a sticker”. Well said. Gurlal Singh Kullar chose to write 'Dominator' on his jeep. The boy puts in, “ Why not. My vehicle is an extension of my personality. I liked the word and it goes well with me." A novel way of wearing that dare to bare attitude on your cars. So all you people, go ahead get yourself heard, in style. On city roads United Colors Of Punjab, You shall rest in peace , Animal Inside, Hell was full so I came back, Guns and guts only for
jatts, Jattitude, On Hunt...., Angels of Hell, I know I am fat but you are ugly |
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Home on the move
Daulat Deshmukh’s camper van ‘Freedom’ is all set
to redefine adventure. Swanky interiors and an easy joyride. What else can one ask for?
One look at Daulat Deshmukh’s camper van, a TL 4X4 by Tata Motors and you would know that the man has done just about everything to redefine ‘holidays’. “The camper van is the sum total of my experiences as a traveller. This would be a treat for those who don’t mind taking a breather from their monotonous schedules. Infact, it will be an ideal carrier for people who want to let their hair down, sit back and enjoy their holidays in an unconventional manner.” Coming back to the 4X4 wonder, Daulat adds that he always wanted to create something like this. “I began working on it in 2001. But, it was only a 60-second meeting with Ratan Tata that set things rolling for me. It took all his experience and passion for travelling to convince the Chairman of Tata Motors on this. “Nevertheless, he adds, I had to do a lot of running around. There was no suitable vehicle in India. And the OEM’s were not ready to re-engineer their vehicle as per my requirements”.Having invested 1.5 crore from his own pocket, Daulat sought help from Tata Motors engineering research centre, Pune, and the ‘Freedom’ was ready to hit the road on 2006. Here take a dekho at the fully loaded machine. The complete vehicle is a single piece body, made of high-end composite fiberglass material. The cabin can seat four in tow rows. A hydraulic lifting system leads to the upper section that is closed by a tarpaulin and mosquito netted windows. And, this isn’t it. The van is fully loaded with all the facilities, like a compressor based 65-litre refrigerator, a 110 litre water tank, a toilet tent accompanied by a hand shower, wooden cabinets to accommodate cutlery and pans, a camper stabilising jack, wooden cabinetry, four stage membrane water filter. “The insides have been designed keeping automobile dynamics in mind. The whole model is completely user friendly. It has solar panels, an awning tent of 9X8 feet dimension, alloy wheel rims with tubeless tyres, a rear view camera and mirror in screen with night vision lenses. Not to miss the, DVD/VCD players, television”. As per Deshmukh, camper van will change the face of tourism in the near future. “It can also cater to many commercial applications and can also be used by research agencies, for rural health services as mobile hospital vans”. As an initial plan, Deshmukh plans to give these on rent for Rs12,000 per day. “Which is quiet nominal. Once it finds acceptability, we could do various other things.” If you want to own one of these dream machines, acquire the TL for Rs 6.5 lakh from Tata Motors, following which Deshmukh and his guys begin fabrication. “The process of delivery takes 60-90 days. It is a made to order thing, we can customise it the way you want, tells Daulat. I quiet like travelling. Do you? |
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Weaving creativity
Final year students of NIIFT Mohali, display exciting designs & motifs at the exhibition, Suvayan’08
Right from the selection of the fabrics to colours and designing, everything was conceptualised by the students. While some students choose apparel, others found interest in home furnishings. As Radhika Sachdeva, a student puts it, “We have chosen the themes as per our interests and inspirations.” The exhibition showcased a wide range of cushion covers, curtains, mufflers, scarves, saris, waistcoats, ties, kurtas apart from kitchen and table linen items. The students, total 24 have worked on the three collections for nearly five months, prior to the exhibition. Most of them inspired by traditional arts to contemporary ones. Jyoti Sharan, whose collection Bazaar inspired by the same, used a lot of earthy and rustic hues to bring out the essence of the collection. Another student, Neha Chowdhary’s collection Snowy’s Habitat and Communiqué, used lot of pastel colours. Also on exhibit was bed linen in bold and garish red and black. The props and material used was equally fascinating- from watermelons, bangles, jeans, horns, aquarium, earthen pots, hay, bubbles, guitar to flowers. Adds Ruchira, who showcased collections Spark, Femme Fatale and Water Ripple, “These props bring out the element of our theme. It depends on inspiration and the client. For my collection Femme Fatale, I have used a lot of bubbles, pinks and flowers.” About four fifths of the students found industry sponsors for their collections. Not to miss that the students experimented and played with their skill and knowledge of textile designing.
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STEP OUT May is the month when amazing records are set on the world’s highest mountain experience without the scare In the world of hardcore mountaineering, May is the most exciting month. It is the month when Everest is most climbable. (The first ascent, by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, took place in May – on the 29th). And there’s a simple geographical phenomenon behind it. From April-end onwards, pre-monsoon winds start gathering over the seas in Southeast Asia and gradually make their way up the Bay of Bengal and towards the Himalaya. Their force temporarily pushes away the strong wind that perpetually blows over the summit of Everest (8848 m), leading to the white plume that can be spotted from a distance. The white plume is actually fresh snow being blown off the summit by the fierce wind. When the pre-monsoon winds push away that strong wind, a weather window opens for a few days (or even weeks during some years). Climbers take advantage of this weather window to rush up the mountain, reach the summit and rush down again before the weather deteriorates with the arrival of the monsoon. Weather forecasters can predict fairly accurately when the window will open and mountaineers plan their climbs accordingly. They depart for Everest in March, arrive at the Base Camp, and then spend about a month acclimatising and completing the task of opening the route, establishing camps up the mountain and stocking them with food, personal gear and climbing equipment. Once everything is in place, everyone goes down to one of the villages at a height below the Base Camp, which is at around 17,000 feet. The idea is to rest and give the body oxygen-rich air to breathe before subjecting it to the enormous strain of the summit push. This is the basic regimen that is followed on the south side or Nepalese side of the mountain. On the north or Chinese side, it is pretty much the same except that climbers generally return to Base Camp to acclimatize because the Chinese authorities do not allow as much freedom of movement. There are other differences between the south and north sides which I will talk about in future. So why is May such an exciting month? Because a string of ascents, some record-setting and some record-breaking, takes place – often on the same day – during this month. There are snobbish climbing circles of top-class mountaineers who sneer at the Everest rush – the hordes who attempt to climb it every spring climbing season (March 1 to May 31). They turn up their noses at Everest because it is not the world’s most difficult or dangerous mountain. Kangchenjunga, Annapurna, K2 and Nanga Parbat are revered for being far tougher tests of your climbing mettle. Yet, a romance adheres to Everest – simply because it is the highest mountain in the world and because the first ascent caught popular fancy in a way no one had anticipated. And so, every year, we wait to hear about new records being set, old ones broken and, alongside, stories of remarkable climbs, rescues, tragedies and triumphs. Let’s set aside the latter for the moment, and look at records. All sorts of records are alive on Everest – the oldest and the youngest, the most ascents, the most routes, the fastest climb and so on. Most awesome have been feats like skiing down the length of Everest and paragliding from the summit to the base. This year, the first record to be achieved is one that has been continually set and re-set by one man. Appa Sherpa has been breaking his own record for nearly a decade, the record for the most ascents. On May 22, 2008, he completed his 18th climb of Everest at the age of 48. I met Appa in Kathmandu in 1997, when he had only – well, one has to say only! – eight Everest climbs to his name. I will tell you about Appa next time. (This column appears fortnightly) The writer has authored India’s first handbook of adventure sports and is available at y.bey@excite.com
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Beauty studio
SUMMER is not a welcome treat for people with oily skin, rather it proves disastrous for them. Alongside the heat comes the heightened tendency of the skin to produce more oil. There is clear unwelcome shine on your face especially cheeks and forehead during the summer period. Just as winter weather makes us pay special attention to our skin, summer with its heat and sun has its requirements too.
Apart from the weather the hereditary factor plays an important part in bringing up this unpleasant change. If it runs in the family you cannot run way from it. Hormones are also to be blamed for the shine on your face — pregnant women, teenagers and women going through menopause largely suffer from this. Don’t let your oily skin run your day, there are number of treatments that you can follow to keep your facial oil under check: n
Splash water as soon as you spot oil on your face. Even if you follow half of these remedies this summer, you’ll have a glowing and oil free skin. n
I am 19 and have whiteheads on my nose and chin. Suggest some homemade remedies for the removal of whiteheads. — Aanchal Bansal Unlike blackheads, whiteheads can appear anywhere where the skin is delicate. Any attempt to squeeze them out forcibly increases the chances of infection. As a home remedy use roasted and powdered pomegranate skin with fresh limejuice. Make a paste of it and apply over the affected area. Applying a paste of one tablespoon of groundnut oil with one tablespoon of fresh limejuice on affected areas helps in preventing the breakout of whiteheads. (This column appears fortnightly) Pammy Kaul is a UK-based beauty therapist. |
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Little Interview
n
How did it happen? I was in Scotland, looking at these lovely lakes and I remembered my friend Anupam Kher. He oft complains, for I have never offered him a role in my productions. I thought the backdrop of the Lake District was ideal for Mr Bhatti on Chhutti and also that Anupam would fit into the role with perfection. n
After films like Umar and Girlfriend, why this sudden shift to comedy? As a writer I have had written scripts for films and teleserials. I always wanted to explore this genre as a filmmaker. Though, it is a right and right comedy film, it comes with a message of world peace. n
Big B also makes an appearance in the flick? Yes. Amitabh Bachchan makes a guest appearance as Anupam Kher’s conscience. n
What’s next? Another flick titled Mittal vs Mittal. n
Another funny one? No. This one is about marital rift. It’s about a wife who gets raped by her husband. My objective is to highlight domestic violence.
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Telly Tales
Dead man walking Remember the villain, Faisal Rana from Parivaar who had died long back in the show. Speculations are rife that he is all set to return to the show. He is often spotted on the sets of ‘parivaar’. Not confirmed officially but sources reveal that his character is actually coming back. However, the authorities refuse to divulge any details and said that he was on the sets only as a good friend. Well the authorities might say anything they want, but Faisal’s presence on the sets, that too in proper make up certainly tells a different story. Will he, won’t he? U, me and Bhajji Height does matter? Say it with colours Ragini Khanna who plays Ragini (a.k.a Ginni) in NDTV Imagine’s Radhaa Ki Betiyaan Kuchh Kar Dikhayengi has a hatke dressing sense, just like her uncle Govinda! We spotted her on the sets of the show in different colour footwear... Guess she couldn’t decide which one looked better! When we asked her about the chappals, she beamed and said they were her favourite and she loves wearing them. (This column appears fortnightly) |
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It’s a boy
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are having a boy, according to Hollywood-based celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. Hilton's website quoted sources close to Nicole Kidman, and announced that it can reveal exclusively a baby boy is on the way for the Academy award-winning actress and her Grammy Award-winning country singer husband.
Speculations about the sex of the baby began a week ago when the Australian glamour couple walked the red carpet in Las Vegas for the Academy of Country Music Awards. The expectant parents mentioned they knew the sex of the baby, but were tight lipped about it. "I'm not saying," Urban told reporters. However, Hilton revealed that the Hours actress is expecting a boy. "The Australian actress is expecting a boy. Congrats to her and dad-to-be Keith Urban! quoted the blogger.
— ANI
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Tale of stars
Jennifer Aniston, Ryan Seacrest, Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore are among a long list of celebrities living fictional lives in a new mystery novel by Jules Asner, wife of director Steven Soderbergh. Asner, a former model and TV correspondent, has created a parallel universe in her upcoming tome entitled Whacked, which follows a fictional character as she seeks revenge on a cheating boyfriend and mingles with real-life stars.
Her characters make controversial observations about Barrymore, who is ‘about to expire like spoiled milk’ and Angelina Jolie: ‘God doesn’t really make size-zero women with size-36C bustlines, right?’ Asner insists she didn’t ask stars’ permission to include them in the book - and isn’t worried about a backlash. “I didn’t ask permission. Maybe I should have. I know Ryan, I don’t think he’d be bothered. And Jennifer is the sweetest, nicest person in the world. I’d only mention her in a great capacity,” she said.
—ANI
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Bon apetit
Mango ice cream 100 gm grain sugar Chocolate Ice cream 300 ml cream Method Rum and raisin ice cream 2 tbsp rum Method Tip of the Week WHILE melting chocolate, always make sure that the bowlful of pieces don’t touch the simmering water underneath. Excess heat will result in the chocolate ‘seizing’, where the cocoa mass and the cocoa butter will separate out. (More ice cream recipes next time)
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Health Peg
A SCIENTIST has developed a new vegetarian food, called tempe, which not only bolsters a person’s uptake of iron, but also provides a good set of proteins. Charlotte Eklund-Jonsson at the Department of Food Science said that tempe is in fact a whole-grain product with high folate content.
It’s long been known that whole-grains reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and that it also protects against age-related diabetes and certain forms of cancer. The B vitamin folate is the natural form of folic acid and, among other things, is necessary for normal fetal development. “Tempe is designed for vegetarians, but also for people who want to eat less meat for environmental reasons, for example. We also had the environment in mind when we chose to base it on barley and oats, which are suitable to cultivate in Sweden and therefore do not require long transports,” said Eklund-Jonsson. This unique food is produced through fermentation with the aid of the micro fungus Rhizopus oligosporus, which originates from Indonesia, but they use soybeans as the raw material there. But, Eklund-Jonsson developed methods to preserve the high fibre content of the cereal grains and at the same time to enhance their content of easily accessible iron. Normally these two considerations work against each other. It was revealed that the iron uptake was doubled after a meal of barley tempe as compared to unfermented barley. Moreover, in other studies both oat and barley tempe produced low blood sugar responses and insulin responses, which is typical of whole-grain products.
—ANI |
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Health Tip
Treatment: Patients who suffer from headache in the morning should modify their posture and change the pillow they sleep on. Massage also proves to be extremely useful as it relieves muscular spasm. Manipulation decreases muscle spasm and joint stiffness. The trigger points are taut bands of inflammatory material present around neck. Ultrasound therapy followed by massage at the trigger points is again very effective. Exercises: Stretching exercises of the muscle of the neck are useful. Place the heel of the hand on forehead, apply pressure with the hand, and resist with neck for about 15 seconds. Similarly, place the heel of hand at the back, both sides of the neck and press against resistance of neck. Headache associated with neck pain responds immediately to manipulation, massage etc. and helps reducing the dose of medicines. — Dr Ravinder Chadha
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SO you thought the only things you could write on your vehicle were 'Press', 'Army' or the boring 'L' sign? That too provided you fulfilled the conditions of having these signs on your car. For once, think big and think beyond. For, we are talking about serious 'vehicle art' here. Not the decoration, there is lot more to it. While you have been doing it with T-shirts, now its time to get whacky with cars and bikes as well. Yes, we are talking about the bold, stylish and creative statements, which some thinking hatkey kinds car owners make.
TRAVELLING. Not everyone’s upbeat about it. Ghar jaisa aaram nahi milta. What if someone packed you off to a holiday with all the ghar jaisa aisho –aaram? All this while you capture the beautiful locales in your snapshot, e-mail it to your friends, enjoying the hot chicken noodles prepared by your senorita! Tell me about it.
It was a panorama of colours, fabric and detailing at Suvayan ’08 an exhibition put up by the first graduating batch of textile design students of NIIFT Mohali, at Shiwalik View. The exhibition was indeed about creativity, inspiration and varied themes. The event was inaugurated by Ramesh Inder Singh, chief secretary, Punjab. Also present on the occasion were the faculty, students and their parents. 
WHAT makes a director decide on a film? A good script or a mega star who can make cash flow easily? Could be any of the above. But in Karan Razdan’s case, it was great location, which decided his forthcoming comedy film Mr Bhatti on Chhutti. Hard to believe, well even we didn’t, till we spoke to him about in detail. Excerpts.
He is passionate, committed, and a thorough professional. Now Hrithik Roshan is the goodwill ambassador for Junoon… Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka, the musical show on NDTV Imagine that goes on air on June 6. Hrithik will lend his support to the participants of the Sufi, Folk and Filmy genres on the show. Junoon…
Flirting by the way opens the door to a romantic relationship. Something similar happened on the sets of Zee TV Rock N Roll Family when the ‘slap and cry’ infamous Harbhajan Singh came on to the show. Replete with his witty one liners and slapstic humour, Bhajji expressed his deep crush and infatuation for his favourite actress Kajol. He has lost count of the number of times he has seen DDLJ. The Punjab da puttar was so smitten by spunky Kajol that he couldn’t help singing “tujhe dekha toh ya jana sanam’ for the very first time ever onscreen only for her and only in Rock N Roll Family. How floored was Kajol by this act of flattery; giggling, smiling and blushing being wooed after ages off screen post her marriage. Poor Bhajji, better luck next time…
Vineet Singh, one of the strongest contestants of Clinic All Clear ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar’, is not happy with his physical stature. He is extremely embarrassed about his short height especially when he is sharing screen space with the sultry host Mandira Bedi. Attempting to match up to Mandira’s height, Vineet was recently seen standing on his toes and jumping in the air every few seconds! After getting a perfect score from the judges in his last performance, an excited Vineet elevated himself with the help of the props present every time he got a positive feedback for his performance! It seems as if this is really height if matter for Vineet!
I HONESTLY can’t sing praises of ice cream for its nutritional value but I certainly can sing about my love for it. Do I hear a chorus to second my declaration? The trouble is, we are so santusht with ready bricks of shop-bought ice cream, we seldom consider churning out our own. Allow me to introduce you to the joys of homemade ice creams. I’ll make a start with three unanimous favourites. Here’s hoping my offerings are cool enough to inspire you to march off to the kitchen!
Method
HEADACHE due to cervical problemis pain that occurs at the back of head, forehead or around the eyes.